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The Most Popular Project Management Hacks Articles of 2016

A news screen at the gym informed me that there are less than 30 hours left to go in 2016! In that spirit, it’s time for me to write my final article of the year.

I’m going to revisit the most popular articles of the year. All of these articles attracted over 2,000 readers this calendar year. It’s great to see that many articles in the archives continue to attract attention including a few from 2014. I still remember the urge to create the business after reading “The Four Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss for the second time.

Many readers are interested in earning more money as a project manager. This article answers tells how to put the odds in your favor to earn $100,000 per year in project management.

Here’s the bad news from the research: you are unlikely to earn over $100,000 until you have ten years of experience. What if you’re determined to get there faster? Well, read the article to find out more!

What comes to mind when you think about conflict? For me, the first mental image is war. Fortunately, conflict in the workplace doesn’t take the form of bullets for most of us.

In this article, I explain the fundamental techniques for managing conflicts. As project managers, you are changing the organization. That will upset some people! That’s why you need to develop conflict management skills.

When it comes to tools and techniques, most of us think about buying a new app or some other piece of technology. That’s not always the right solution however.

The simple checklist is one of the best ways to improve quality and reduce errors. Did you know that many of the world’s best surgeons, nurses and pilots rely on checklists to avoid life threatening mistakes? It’s true!

Reading biographies of successful people offers unique insights on the world. As a long time science fiction fan, I was delighted to learn about the struggle to build SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space company.

His thought process and determination to achieve incredible goals like settling Mars are inspiring. Learn more about the methods and mental models Musk uses to achieve his success.

Tip: Musk recommend thinking from first principles, rather than by analogy, to solve complex problems. It’s a harder path to follow because it will be unnatural for many of us but there are great merits in that approach.

A recent survey I read claimed that about 1/4 of Americans listen to podcasts regularly. That means millions of people have yet to discover this incredible medium.

Are you tired of TV style “sound bite” interviews? That’s one area where podcasts shine. For example, Russ Roberts, author and economics expert, has published 60+ minute in depth interviews on his podcast EconTalk for a decade.

For details on which podcasts are best to develop your career and get you promoted, check out the article.

To round out the list, let’s work at doing email better. Here’s one principle to start with: make clear requests.

For example, do you want somebody to approve a request? Make it crystal here: “Please approve the attached business plan” or “Please approved the attached project change request as discussed at the governance meeting.”